Kim Chandler, Blake Paterson(2019-05-17). Alabama governor says God backs the attack on women's rights.peoplesworld.org MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama's Republican governor has signed the most stringent abortion legislation in the nation, making performing an abortion a felony in nearly all cases. "To the bill's many supporters, this legislation stands as a powerful testament to Alabamians' deeply held belief that every life is precious and that every life is a …

plenglish(2019-05-17). Russia Defends from Attacks and Accusations in UN Council.plenglish.comUnited Nations, May 17 (Prensa Latina) The Russian permament representative before the United Nations Vassily Nebenzia, rejected the accusations launched by the US govermment and other western countries Friday, that pointed out that the Russian actions are destablizing Syria.

Caitlin Johnstone(2019-05-17). Leaked OPCW Report Confirms What We Already Knew About Chemical Attacks in Syria.theantimedia.com(CJ Opinion) — The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) has begun responding to queries by the press about a leaked document which contradicts official OPCW findings on an alleged chemical weapons attack last year in Douma, Syria. The prepared statement they've been using in response to these queries confirms the authenticity of the document. …

Register Peace & Freedom or Green(2019-05-17). 5/16/19: Chelsea Manning Returned to Prison; Illegal Arrests of Embassy Protectors.indybay.orgOn the same day, May 16, 2019, the remaining 4 Venezuelan Embassy Protectors were falsely arrested by US police who illegally entered the Venezuelan Embassy in Washington D.C. and Chelsea Manning was returned to prison as a political prisoner for refusing to cooperate with the witchhunting grand jury, and this time, the reactionary Judge Anthony Trenga added the threat of daily fines of up to $500 a day after 30 days and rising to $1000 a day after 60 days. We heard not a peep of opposition to these reactionary actions by Nazi Trump from the Democratic Party candidates for president.

plenglish(2019-05-17). Cuba Ratifies Cooperation with IAEA for Peaceful Ends.plenglish.comHavana, May 17 (Prensa Latina) Cuba"s Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez asserted on Twitter his country"s willingness to continue working with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to promote the use of nuclear technologies for peaceful ends.

teleSUR(2019-05-17). Colombia's FARC Jesus Santrich Injured, Unable to Leave Prison.telesurenglish.netDespite Colombia's Special Jurisdiction for Peace, JEP, ordering the Office of the Attorney General to immediately release Seuxis Paucias Hernandez, better known as 'Jesus Santrich' Wednesday, the former leader of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) remains imprisoned in La Picota prison. | Santrich released a handwritten note to the media Friday morning making four points, the first that the JEP ordered his release at 9: 45am Wednesday morning but that as of 11: 00am Friday he had not been released from jail. The former FARC commanders says the prison director is is "refusing to address his lawyer…

Jessica Corbett(2019-05-17). Venezuela Denounces US Seizure of Embassy as Violation of Vienna Convention.theantimedia.com(CD) — Venezuelan Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Ron on Thursday urged the Trump administration not to hand over the country's embassy in Washington, D.C. to leaders of an attempted coup after U.S. law enforcement forcibly removed peace activists who have lived there for since last month as guests of President Nicolás Maduro's government. "We denounce these arrests, as the …

plenglish(2019-05-17). China Calls to Peacefully Resolve Venezuela Issue.plenglish.comBeijing, May 17 (Prensa Latina) China has called on Friday to strengthen efforts between the Venezuela government and opposition to achieve a peaceful resolution to the situation there, by emphasizing its position of non-meddling in the internal affairs of the South American nation.

Ron Jacobs(2019-05-17). Uncle Sam Needs Our Help Again?counterpunch.org Earlier in 2019, the US Congress utilized its power to wage or not wage war and voted to end US involvement in the Saudi Arabian war in Yemen. Donald Trump vetoed the bill and it died. Meanwhile, the Pentagon and US intelligence agencies were ramping up pressure on the nations of Venezuela and Iran. Other More

Bernie Sanders(2019-05-17). Our Revolution: A Future to Believe In (Book).nationofchange.org NationofChange BookClub Pick In 2016, Senator Sanders, the longest-serving independent in the history of the Congress, took on the entire Democratic Party establishment. The pundits had dismissed his campaign from the start, but by the end, it was clear just how wrong they were. Bernie had run one of the most consequential campaigns in the …

Elise Casby(2019-05-17). Fascist trends in Santa Cruz Government.indybay.orgActivists and myself using the derogatory gesture of the nazi salutes were focused on and reported in the conservative and reactionary paper, The Santa Cruz Sentinel by writer, Jessica York on May 15, 2019. As usual the focus was on the graphic gesture and not the fact that public comment and other forms of democratic participation are dwindling over the years as each mayor, now Martine Watkins takes up the mantle of repression.

Andrew Levine(2019-05-17). Springtime for Biden and Democrats.counterpunch.orgSummertime is coming; the "debate" season is near. It will not taper off on until the primaries and party caucuses get underway. What a dreary prospect! Take heart, though, in the fact that, in this post-midterms world, with the Zeitgeist moving boldly and unashamedly to the left, some good could come of it. Also, if Joe More

susan_p(2019-05-17). Philippines: Election 'one of the dirtiest in decades'.greenleft.org.au The May 13 Philippines midterm election has been marred by accusations ranging from a lack of transparency, to electoral fraud, vote rigging and vote buying. | Lengthy delays in results being released were blamed on "technical glitches" by authorities. Opposition candidates and parties have refused to accept the results and are calling for the Philippines electoral commission (COMELEC) to be replaced by an independent body. | Nationwide protests have been called for May 17. | Responding to the results, Partido Lakas Ng Masa (Party of the Labouring Masses, PLM) Senate candidate, Jose Pedrosa, wrote: "Consider thes…

Staff(2019-05-17). As Abortion Restrictions Sweep the South, Look to Southerners to Lead.truthout.orgOn May 14, the Alabama Senate passed an outright ban on abortion with exceptions only for serious health risks to the pregnant person or a fetal diagnosis incompatible with life. It is the most restrictive anti-abortion measure in the nation, as it classifies abortion as a felony with a punishment of up to 99 years in prison for doctors who perform the procedure. This comes shortly after Georgia joined Kentucky, Mississippi and Ohio in passing a law that bans abortion as early as six weeks. | Since 2011, state legislators across the country have passed more than 400 medically unnecessary and politically motiva…

Rob Urie(2019-05-17). Grabby Joe and the Problem of Environmental Decline.counterpunch.org The American political establishment seems determined to go down in flames and take the rest of the world with it. Under the delusion that neoliberal, neoconservative corpse-in-waiting Uncle Joe Biden is 'what voters want,' the Democratic Party has once again substituted marketing logic for a political program. On the plus side, Grabby Joe's 'Make America More

Roger Stoll(2019-05-16). Nicaragua: The War of 2018.dissidentvoice.orgNearly all US regime-change wars (Venezuela, Syria, Honduras, Ukraine, Libya, Yugoslavia, etc.) are wars of deception, fabrication, propaganda, coups and false flags. Sometimes there is a direct US military assault, more often not. These wars are waged by proxies, media puppets, hired hit-men, torturers, rapists, vandals, saboteurs, death squads and criminal gangs, through mock or …

Democracy Now!(2019-05-16). "Inside Syria's Secret Prisons": A Harrowing Account of How Assad's Torture Machine Crushed Dissent.democracynow.org A shocking exposé by the New York Times looks at how Bashar al-Assad's government has jailed and tortured tens of thousands of Syrians since the uprising began in 2011. According to the Syrian Network for Human Rights, nearly 128,000 people have disappeared. They are presumed to be either dead or still in custody. The group estimates almost 14,000 individuals have died under torture. The detentions are continuing even as the fighting winds down. More than 5,600 Syrians were reportedly arbitrarily detained last year in a 25 percent jump from the previous year. While the Syrian government has denied running a secre…